Like our Brazilian lemonade, lemon squares are typically a dessert that you might find at a summer picnic, not in the middle of winter. However, like the old saying goes, 'you are what you eat' so you might as well eat sunny, cheery delicious desserts, right? 

Lemon squares are probably one of my favourite desserts because they are so light, tart and sweet; but dangerously so, because before you know it, you've eaten an entire pan without realising! Here's a pro-tip as well (and to be clear, by pro, I mean pro-eater of dsserts): don't limit yourself to lemon! Try an orange square by substituitng orange zest and concentrate instead of lemon juice. Or, try a pink lemonade square (pink!) by adding some cherry juice. Go wild with your own lemon squares chicks!

Here's what you need: 

For the crust:
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup icing sugar (plus some for dusting)

For the topping:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder 
1 tbsp powdered coconut milk 
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 - 2 tbsp lemon zest
 
If you don't have/can't find powdered coconut milk, substitute the extra tbsp of lemon juice with coconut milk. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9 X 13 pan

Step 1: Make Crust

 
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and confectioner’s sugar. Cut butter into smaller, manageable pieces and soften (but don't melt) in microwave. Cut in butter until combined and crumbly.

Tip: Cutting in butter sounds like complicated jargon, but it basically means using a wooden spoon or fork (or whatever tool you find easiest) to combine the butter into the flour. I find that getting in there with my hands to smush (very technical) the butter into the flour helps. Your flour/butter crust should look crumbly like in above picture. 
 
Once finished, press mixture into bottom of pan. Try and make your crust as evenly spread out as possible. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 

For the topping: 

Step 2: Dry Ingredients 
In large bowl, mix together add sugar, powdered coconut milk, flour, and baking powder. 

Step 3: Lemons


Grate a lemon to get lemon zest, if you are a fan of the tart flavor use 2 tbsp, if not 1 tbsp will do. Using either freshly squeezed bottled lemon juice measure out 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp. 

Step 4: Combine Together


Crack 4 eggs into bowl and beat slightly. Add eggs, lemon juice and zest to the dry ingredients and mix well. When finished, pour on top of baked crust. 

Tip: If you're using coconut milk instead of powder, add in this step along with lemon and egg. 
 
Step 5: Bake and Enjoy


Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and dust with icing sugar. Store in fridge. Though, you may not actually get a chance to store them, chances are, they'll be gone in minutes! Enjoy!

(recipe adapted via bakerella.com)